Mechanical cuspidor.



0. HAMEL.

MECHANICAL cUsPIDo.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, 1914.

1,098,898, Patented June 2,1914.

5] nu@ Mio@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO HAMEL, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

MECHANICAL CUSPIDOR.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that T, OTTO HAMEL, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resi dent of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVIechanical Cuspidors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in cuspidor-s and pertains particularly to a novel cuspidor of that type which is normally covered to hide its contents from view, but may be opened mechanically for a moment by operating a foot treadle when it is desired to use it and is automatically closed by releasing the treadle.

The cuspidor forming the subject matter of the present invention has a removable receptacle to allow of easy cleaning. This receptacle is open at full width at the top while the cuspidors generally used have a contracted neck portion. As the present cuspidor is Covered and has to be opened by a foot treadle operated by the person who intends to use it, spilling of saliva is com pletely avoided because the person must always be near when using the cuspidor. This implies a sanitary advantage because a sick person or consumptive spilling saliva may cause disease when the saliva dries up and by sweeping floors or carpets is mixed with the air in the room and inhaled.

A normally closed cuspidor is very desirable for family use from an ethical standpoint of view, and if constructed in large sizes for use in publie places, ferry boats and the like it will prevent nuisances.

By simplicity in construction it has been sought to reduce the cost of production to a minimum and care has been taken to produce a neat and desirable article, all as will be fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing in which- Figure l represents in central vertical section a cuspidor embodying in desirable form the present improvements. Fig. 2 is a crosssection on line 2-2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 represents in artial top plan view the removable receptac e. Fig. 4 is a face view of a detail.

Similar characters of reference denote like parts in all'the figures.

The cuspidor comprises essentially a metal ring o; to which the legs, preferably three, Z), c, Z are attached by means of rivets e. The inner top portion of each leg forms a shoulder f whereby the removable receptacle Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 10, 1914.

Patented June 2, 1914.

serial No. 817,725.

g is supported. The receptacle may be made of' porcelain, glass or enameled ironware.

lt is provided with grips of any suitable construction to lift it conveniently out of the cuspidor for cleaning purposes. In the drawing the receptacle g is shown to have two short inwardly curved top portions g1 for this purposef This construction of the receptacle is cheaply manufactured. Two inward metal flanges It, are oppositely arranged on the ring a of which one is shown in face view in Fig. 1l. Each flange has two incisions of which the incisions h1, h2 are shown in Fig. fl, while in Fig. 2 the incision 71.1 of the flange L and the incision t" of the flange z' is illustrated. The flanges 7L, v2 serve as bearings for two shafts y', /c which are preferably square and have a slightly reduced round portion which is adapted to rest in the slots of the flanges. Beyond the ring a each end portion of a shaft has a short eX- tension with a vertical opening therein. A curved wire Z is inserted with its ends into the two openings of the shaft j while a curved wire m is inserted into the two openings of the shaft c. Two curved covers '17 0 having the form ofa sector of a sphere are attached to the curved wires Z, m. The cover or lid a is riveted to a small metal square p on the rod Z and the cover or lid 0 .is riveted to a small metal square Q on the wire m.

A gear wheel r is mounted on the center portion of the shaft y' and a similar gear wheel s on the shaft 7c. Both gears mesh with each other as shown in Fig. 1. From the shaft j a curved arm t extends downwardly and connects with a foot treadle u of usual construction. A helical spring o is secured with one end to the ring a and with the other end of the shaft j passing around the rod Z', as shown in Fig. 2. The spring 'o tends to normally close the covers n, 0 which in the closed position abut against each other, as shown in Fig. 1. However, when the treadle a is operated the shaft j is somewhat rotated and thereby the gear r which meshes with the gear s. This gear rotates in the opposite direction and turns the shaft le likewise. During the operation of the treadle a the spring o is tensioned. The lids or covers n o being connected with the shafts by means of the rods Z, m are thus opened in opposite directions permitting of the use of the cuspidor. The treadle u is then released whereupon the tensioned spring o returns the wires Z, m with the covers fa, 0 into the closed position. Should it be desired to keep the cuspidor open for a longer period of time then a lock w is attached to the arm t. This lock is movably mounted on the shaft 7c.

For the purpose of allowing of the movement of the covers the treadle support has a somewhat inclined portion, as shown in F ig. 1. The legs likewise are somewhat inclined for this purpose but spread out at the bottom. The wires Z, m with the covers thereon are secured in the end portions of the shafts by means of the screws but may be detached during transportation or for other reasons.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cuspidor comprising a metal ring, legs somewhat inwardly inclined on said ring forming each a shoulder at the top, a removable receptacle supported on said shoulders, two downward metal flanges op-4 posite each other on the metal ring having each two incisions, two shafts in said incisions, a gear on each shaft two'curved wires supported each in the end portions of a shaft, covers on said wires adapted to remain normally closed, and means for opening the covers temporarily.

2. A cuspidor comprising a metal ring, legs somewhat inwardly inclined on said ring forming each a shoulder at the top, a removable receptacle supported on said shoulders, two downward metal flanges op'- posite each other on the metal ring having each two incisions, two square shafts with round end portion in said incisions, a gear on each shaft, two curved wires supported each in the end portions of a shaft, covers on said wires, a helical spring on one shaft normally closing the covers, and means for opening them temporarily.

3. A cuspidor comprising a metal ring, legs somewhat inwardly inclinedV on said ring forming each a shoulder at the top, a removable receptacle supported on said shoulders, two downward metal flanges opposite each other on the metal ring having each two incisions, two square shafts with round end portions in said incisions, a gear on each shaft, two curved wires each removably secured in the end portions of a shaft, covers on said wires, a helical spring on one shaft normally closing the covers, means for opening the same temporarily, a curved arm on one of the shafts forming part of the cover operating means, and a device on said curved arm to lock the covers in the open position.

1l. ln a cuspidor of the type described, a metallic ring, legs with top shoulders thereon, two downward metal iianges having each two incisions oppositely arranged on the metal ring, two square shafts with round end portions in said incisions, a treadle operated gear mechanism in connection with said shafts, two curved wires each removably secured in the end portions of a shaft, covers on said wires being thus removable with their supporting wires, and means to keep the covers normally olosed.

Signed at New York, N. Y., this 5th day of February, 1911i.

OTTO HAMEL.

lVitnesses MARIE R. LEAHY, ELIZABETH KRAMER.

Copies of this patent may be `obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, 13.10. 

